


we'll always have the birdie

by somcthingwitty



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: AND I JUST CAN'T STOP MYSELF FROM IMAGINING KARA SMASHING ME WITH HER RACKET, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Attempt at Humor, Because have you seen her in Terminator?, Bloody hell if i wasn't gay before, F/F, Fluff, I mean, It's the Badminton AU because i need one in my life, You didn't see that, also Kai? is Mackenzie Davis, but - Freeform, proceed, then i'm definitely gay now, yes - Freeform, your girl plays badminton
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 12:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20488730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somcthingwitty/pseuds/somcthingwitty
Summary: Kara Danvers has a good life. She has a good job, has a good best friend she plays badminton with, and really, what else can she ask for? She's very content with her life and she honestly couldn't ask for more.That was until a certain brunette came into her life with her ridiculous grip and arm-twisting shots.Kara, always the helpful person that she was, offered to give her a couple of lessons in the art of playing badminton.Just lessons in badminton, seriously. Nothing less, nothing more.Right?Of course not.





	we'll always have the birdie

**Author's Note:**

> I just have a lot of feelings for Kara Danvers and Grace ( from Terminator, honestly if you haven't watched it what are you doing????)
> 
> So... here.
> 
> Enjoy!

It was a sunny and windless day in National City, perfect for outdoor games preferably played with the lack of, well, wind.

Kara could think of many things. So, there was badminton. That’s one. Volleyball? Maybe. She didn’t really play the particular sport. There was archery, but then she wasn’t sure if there was an outdoor range for archery in National City. Did basketball count? She wasn’t sure.

All she knew was: it’s the perfect day to play badminton.

So, it was only logical of her to drag her best friend out of their apartment to play at the nearest park.

Only now, she wasn’t sure if choosing __the__ park instead of an indoor court was the best idea.

Because right now, they were just standing at the side, watching as a pair of strangers played animatedly in front of them. They probably looked funny, Kara thought. Two, blond women, one relatively shorter than the other, standing idly with the both of them just holding onto their rackets pathetically.

Or maybe it was.

Kara chanced a glance at Kai and then laughed when their blue eyes met each other. It seemed like Kai was thinking the same thing.

“If you look at the bright side, the view is __definitely __gorgeous,” Kai said quietly so only Kara could hear her.

“Uh-huh,” Kara agreed just as quietly, her fingers instinctively flexing around the handle of her racket.

She was torn between calling out for their turn and keeping her mouth shut so she could enjoy __the view__ further.

“Did you see that?” Kai snorted as one of the players tried to return the birdie by twisting her arm and __hitting__ the cement with her racket. “Someone’s going to break her arm if she continues trying to hit the birdie the way she’s been doing so the past fifteen minutes.”

Kara shrugged. “We’ve agreed they’re amateurs.”

“Or pals who just want to play a game because they’re bored on a Saturday morning.”

“That, too,” Kara nodded, then narrowed her gaze over at the players. “__Pals?__”

“Yeah,” Kai shrugged her shoulders as she leaned down a bit to whisper into Kara’s ear. “My gaydar’s going wild right now, and you know my gaydar’s never wrong.”

That was true. Kai did have a knack at knowing whether someone was a teammate or not. Eyes still narrowed, Kara looked at the players again and pursed her lips.

Both of them had gorgeous, dark hair pulled back into neat ponytails. Kara couldn’t tell for sure because of the distance, but both of them seemed to have light-colored eyes. One was taller than the other, wearing a light blue tank top underneath a black jacket — making her seem paler than she already was, completed with sporty shorts. The shorter one was wearing an orange tank top and knee-length leggings. Well, one was curvier than the other, though it wasn’t to say that one was better than the other. Kara appreciated them both, in the most non-objective way. She was just noticing.

Well, one had a softer edge to her jawline whilst the other was… __damn__.

“She can cut me with her jawline and I’d tell her thank you, Kai,” Kara muttered quietly as she shifted in her spot and crossed her arms beneath her chest, racket still held tightly in her hand.

“Are you looking at the tank top woman or the jacket woman?”

“Jacket woman.”

“Oh, good,” Kai nodded and mimicked Kara’s position. “’Cause I kind of like watching the shorter one. She’s cute.”

“It’s your size kink talking-”

Kai’ eyes widened as her hand quickly flew to land a loud smack on Kara’s shoulder, which the latter only responded to with a laugh.

“Shut the fuck up, you little-” Kai looked around to see if anyone had heard, then turned to glare at Kara. “I’m eating all your potstickers at home.”

Kara gasped. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Oh, I would dare-”

“Hey, you!”

They both blinked and turned at the direction where the voice came from.

“Uh,” Kai drawled, unsure. “Are you talking to me?”

Kara nudged her with an elbow. “Us?”

Jacket Woman laughed and nodded. “Yes, you two. You’ve been watching there for about twenty minutes. You guys want to play?”

Kara looked at Kai and blinked again, suddenly not so sure what to do. Luckily for both of them, Kai recovered and placed her hands on her hips as she faced the other pair.

“Are we talking, like, doubles or are you asking __us__ if __we__ want to play while you guys leave the area?”

Kara nudged her again and ignored Kai when she pushed her back. “I’m sorry for my rude friend,” she said as she started walking closer to the pair. “So, did you want to play doubles or?”

Jacket Woman shrugged as she smiled which, honestly, Kara couldn’t help but swoon at. She had such a gorgeous smile. “I don’t know if you noticed, but we don’t really know how to play.”

“Oh, we definitely noticed,” Kai quipped behind Kara and beamed when Tank Top Woman laughed quietly at the other side of the court.

Kara cleared her throat. “I mean, we can teach you, if you like?”

Kai blinked. “Excuse me—”

“She can teach your friend!” Kara cut in, cheeks burning bright red when Jacket Woman arched an eyebrow. “And… and I can teach you.”

“Well,” Tank Top Woman drawled. “I wouldn’t be opposed to it. What about you, Lena?”

Huh. So Lena was her name. She did seem like a Lena, and just like her name, she’s just as gorgeous and graceful and— well, maybe not at badminton.

Lena turned back to Kara and narrowed her eyes at her as if sizing her up. “I guess, I’m okay with it as well.”

Kara grinned and visibly perked up whilst Kai groaned behind her.

“This isn’t what I came here for, Kara.” She whispered to Kara later on as they walked away to put their things on the nearest bench.

“Oh, please,” Kara rolled her eyes. “As if you’re not excited to have some alone time with Tank Top Woman over there. By the way, do you know her name already?”

Kai grinned. “Imra. Beautiful, right?”

“Not as beautiful as Lena.”

“Oh, shut up.”

—

Some hours later, Kara sat beside Lena under the shade of the sun as they watched Kai and Imra play against each other.

It’s fascinating to Kara how Kai was holding back much of her strength so Imra could enjoy a good rally. Her friend’s arm was tense and she could almost see the muscles tightly coiled underneath her skin.

For the first time since she offered to teach Lena how to play badminton, she wondered if she’d looked the same as Kai did. If her arms were tensed that her muscles were pronounced like Kai’s were. Did Lena notice? Was it wrong of her to hope that Lena did?

She did remember Lena looking down at her arms every time it was her turn to serve. Now, Kara wasn’t vain or anything — always the more humble one between her and Kai, but she did work very hard for her body and—

God, she was being ridiculous, wasn’t she?

She couldn’t help but laugh as she leaned back against the bench.

“What’s funny?” Lena asked, looking at her with big, curious eyes.

It’s only then that Kara truly had the time to __actually__ look at her eyes, take in the shade of green they were, and she’s amazed by how light they were -- how they almost look gray while they’re outside.

Kara wondered how they look like indoors -- if they’re still the same light green or if they’ll become darker because of the lack of glaring sunlight. Would she be able to capture them in her camera?

__Oh, Lord, where did all that come from?__ She shook her head, feeling her cheeks burn in shame again upon realizing that she hadn’t responded to Lena yet.

“Um, well, if you observe my friend, Kai, over there,” Kara pointed at her friend’s direction. “You can see she’s really tense. She doesn’t usually play as casually as that, you see. She’s holding back for your friend.”

“Huh,” Lena muttered quietly. “If she wasn’t holding back..?”

“She’d have gotten a couple of terrifying smash shots at your friend,” Kara replied as if it was the most normal thing to say. “Kai’s the type who likes earning a score by smashing the birdie.”

Lena frowned. “The… what?”

“The birdie? You know the—” she pursed her lips. “I mean, the shuttlecock?”

Lena oohed quietly. “Well, I didn’t know it was also called a birdie.”

“I mean, sure, it’s commonly called a shuttlecock but Kai and I—” she paused, laughing quietly. “We kind of don’t like the third syllable of the word for personal reasons.”

“Cock.” Lena deadpanned, and Kara blushed.

“Uh, yes.”

Lena hummed and looked back at their friends, her lips quirked up in a smile. Kara wondered what that meant, but was left with little time to ponder over it as Kai plopped down on the bench next to her.

“Guess what? Imra knows how to control the birdie now,” Kai grinned smugly.

“The birdie?” Imra asked after drinking a mouthful of water.

“The shuttlecock,” Lena replied for the blondes. “Is what they meant.”

Imra nodded, amused. “I see.”

“They don’t like the __third__ syllable, apparently.”

“I wonder why.”

Kai began to speak, “It’s because—”

But Kara slapped a hand over her mouth. “It’s because __personal, __Kai.”

Kai rolled her eyes as she slapped Kara’s hand away from her mouth. “Whatever. Anyway, I’m tired as hell. Imra made me run back and forth across the court. Can we go?”

Kara frowned at Kai, wondering why she was in a rush to get back home. It wasn’t like her to be so quick to leave someone who piqued her interest and Kara was sure that Kai was interested in Imra.

Damn it, she was also interested in Lena, and she hadn’t asked for her number yet — or did anything to express that interest, at all.

“We should probably get going too.” Kara heard Lena say, and she was not surprised to feel the disappointment raging in her chest. Oh, well. Maybe fate would be nice to her and make her meet Lena again one of these days. She really did hope.

“Okay,” she replied quietly and smiled wistfully. “I’ll see you again, I hope? Here? For more badminton?” She winced at the last part. What the hell?

Lena smiled as she picked her bag from the bench, “You definitely will if you use your eyes.” And then left with Imra without a second glance.

Kara blinked after the retreating figures, then turned to Kai. “What does that even mean?”

“Look at your bag, dumbass,” Kai snorted as she hauled her own bag up her arm and walked away whilst whistling.

__Whistling__.

That only meant—

Kara quickly searched her bag and grinned when she found a small, ripped note inserted into the water bottle pouch—

> ** _ ** _I’d like to play with you again. Call me. (559-xxx-xxxx)_ ** _ **
> 
> ** _ ** ** _ **
> 
> ** _ ** _— Lena x_ ** _ **

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are much appreciated! ♥
> 
> tumblr @somcthingwitty


End file.
